Joseph staekey



(No Model.)

J. STARKEY.

EPAULET AND SHOULDERSTRAP HOLDER.

,129.. Patented Sept. 13,1881.

N4 FUCHS. FncwLnho m ner, Washingon, D. Q

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ODEN HORSTMANN, J. HOWARD MEGKE, AND WALTER HORSTMANN ALL OF SAME PLACE.

EPAULET AND SHOULDER-STRAP HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 247,129, datedSeptember 13, 1881. Application filed June 27, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH STARKEY, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritain and Ireland, and aresident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, haveinvented an lmprovementin Epaulet and Shoulder-Strap Holders, ofwhichthe following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to so construct a retainer for applicationto the shoulder of a uniform-coat or other garment that said retainerwill be adapted for holding either a shoulder-strap or an epaulet; andthis object I attain in the manner which I will now proceed todescribe,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 is a perspective view, showing the relation of a shoulder-strapto the retainer; Fig. 2, a perspective view, showing the relation of anepaulet thereto; and Figs. 3 and 4, longitudinal and transversesections, respectively, of the retainer.

The retainer A consists of a strip, a, of sheet metal, archedlongitudiually,.as shown in Fig. 3, and having at each corner an ear,1), portions of which are adapted to bear upon the shoulder of the coator other garment, and are provided with openings d, whereby the retainermay be readily sewed or otherwise secured to the cloth of which saidgarment is made. The ears b serve to elevate the strip a above thecloth, so that when the retainer is secured in place it presents therecesses 00 and y, the formerextendinglongitudinally ofthe retainer,

or across the shoulder, and the recess 3 extendin g transversely of theretainer, or lengthwise of the shoulder. The recess 00 is thus adaptedfor the reception of the tongue at of the shoulder-strap B, Fig. 1, whenthe latter has to be secured to the garment; or the shoulder-strap maybe removed and an epaulet, I), Fig. 2, substituted for the same, thetongue y of the epaulet being adapted to the recessg of the retainer. Ineither case the retainer is entirely hidden by the ornament and thelatter is firmly held in position. I

The retainer, instead ofbeingmade of sheet metal,may be made of leatheror cloth, care being taken in all cases, however, to so secure it to theshoulder of the garment as to form the two recesses 00 and y.

I claim as my invention- The retainer A, constructed with ears for itsattachment to the shoulder of a coat or other garment, and with cornerflanges which allow it to project above the same, and forming alongitudinal recess, x, and transverse recess 3 wherebyjt is adapted forholding either a shoulder-strap or an epaulet, all substantially as setforth.

In testimony whereof I have signed myname to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH STARKEY. Witnesses:

JAMES F. TOBIN, HARRY SMITH.

